Jamie Nye
CFL.ca
The past week in Saskatchewan has been interesting to say the least.
The airlift has begun and the rumour mill is swirling.
The biggest rumour around town has plagued quarterback Darian Durant and offensive coordinator Doug Berry for the last year and a half. The perception is the two don’t get along and are at odds over how the offence is being run.
And while the offensive unit definitely has its holes, the two key components are saying the same thing. The offence needs to adjust based on their personnel.
Through six weeks of the 2011 season it’s clear that the players they have been trying to fill in for receivers Andy Fantuz, Rob Bagg and Cary Koch have not able to bring the consistency those three players brought in 2010.
The offence is definitely missing the playmakers and it’s time for one their biggest to take on a task he’s never had to do in his time in Saskatchewan.
Durant needs to take the offence on his shoulders and drag them out of their current funk.
Yes, being the quarterback means the offence generally lives or dies by your performance each week. However, since arriving in Saskatchewan, Durant has always been asked to distribute the ball to his playmakers and let them do the job from there.
It’s time for that to change.
Looking back to the 2007 Grey Cup, Durant was on the sidelines holding a clipboard as his mentor, Kerry Joseph, was busy running the offence without his star receiver Matt Dominguez.
Joseph also had his own group of underachieving receivers, but still managed to win himself and the province of Saskatchewan a Grey Cup.
The reason? Joseph took it upon himself to make the necessary plays to keep the offence’s head above water as the defence controlled the opposition.
Joseph ran 10 times for over 100 yards and it was just enough.
This season, the Saskatchewan’s only win came on the back of Durant’s biggest game on the ground (seven rushes for 71 yards).
And while it may be a little unfair to put all the pressure on Durant to get the offence going, he’s the only one I see that has the ability to do so.
Durant’s running numbers are well below where they were at last season. He finished the year leading all quarterbacks in rushing and passing yards as his legs were able to keep opposing defences on their toes.
And while Durant says he can only do ‘what my coach tells me to do,’ it’s time his improvisation skills to play a bigger part of the Rider offence.
Berry also needs to help out his quarterback by designing plays that are able to extend the amount of time it takes for his receivers to get open.
Right now, the receivers are having problems freeing themselves from defenders and are leaving Durant holding the ball, waiting for something to happen.
The challenge ahead for this offence is going to be a tough one. The personnel is set and while new receivers are seemingly arriving daily this week, they won’t be able to make any substantial impact until after Labour Day as they begin to acclimate themselves to their surroundings.
In the meantime, now more than ever, the Roughriders need their leader and best player to start taking over games.
